


Wanderer Cluster

by codenametobias



Category: Force of Will (Card Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, OC, Rajadeem
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-04-17 13:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14189922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/codenametobias/pseuds/codenametobias
Summary: Stories can tell of many things. Heroes and villains, hope and despair, they give readers a look into the lives and struggles of the characters. However, some characters remain in the background, going about their business unnoticed by the central narrative. One of these background characters has since found himself in the World of Grimm, existing outside of the narrative while doing his best to ensure the characters will make it through. Filling in plot holes, or meeting those that have also been forgotten, he intends to inspire hope without making his presence known.





	1. Chapter 1

A soft breeze blew over the field, sweeping over the grassy hills. The sun shone through a clear sky, beaming down on the kingdom below as its denizens went about their day. Amidst the calm, a man lay motionless in the grass. His body was battered and bruised, clothes torn as he rested. It was not often that he found himself in such peace, feeling the wind he opened his eyes, the light causing him to reel back and cover them with his arms. “Oh man, what hit me?” His voice was quiet as he spoke to himself, attempting to recount what had brought him to this world. “Oh right, Ragnarok. That was one heck of a party.” He lifted his arm off of his eye to slowly adjust to the sun, carefully sitting up as his body ached and screamed to stop. He patted himself down, feeling for any sort of break or wound. Feeling nothing of the like, he looked around. “Now where am I, exactly?”

 

He stood up, brushing himself off and scanning the horizon. Hills dotted the area, beyond them stood a palace in the distance. Its alabaster stones reflected the midday sun, a shining beacon to weary travellers far and wide. Rajadeem admired it for a moment before stretching his arms up, sending a wave of pops down his spine. “Suppose I should go check it out. Something’s bound to happen in place like that.” He reached into his coat, finding his deck of cards and drawing the top. Greeted with the all-too-familiar image of a man and his dog walking off of a cliff, he smiled and held it out to the palace, the lantern at his side emitting lights of blue and gold. The card shone with a similar light as he called out its name, “The Fool!” With that he vanished from the field, leaving the winds to quietly sweep over the land once again.

 

* * *

 

In an instant, Rajadeem found himself in the midst of the bustling crowd. People moved about the stalls littering the marketplace, merchants hawking their wares and patrons looking over them. His eyes darted around, taking everything in as he bobbed and weaved his way between people, careful not to bump into anyone. He spotted the palace in the distance, standing high above the town as a pristine monolith. He smiled. It was nice to see humanity doing so well. He slipped around groups gathering before some stalls to browse the wares. One merchant was selling a variety of books, another hand carved sculptures, and interestingly enough, one jeweler claimed his gems were dug up from the palace grounds. Rajadeem mused on their luster before moving on, wondering how such stones would be excavated from private grounds.

 

His stomach growling caused him to lurch forward. Looking around he quietly hoped that no one had heard. “How long has it been? A week now?” Another growl caused him to chuckle, “Guess so.” The wafting scent of bread caught his attention. His eyes scanned the area with fervor, spotting nothing of the like. He took off through the crowd, grasping his lantern to keep it from swinging wildly. “Where, where, where?” He turned corners and darted down streets, scouring the area for the source of the scent. Turning once again he planted his foot into the ground and skidded to a halt at the sight of a bakery on the corner. “Bingo.”

 

He slowly opened the door and walked inside, the smell of freshly baked goods hitting him as he did. His eyes lit up at the display of cakes and pies lining the front, with tables of breads and muffins dotting the floor. His mouth watered at the sight, not that the woman working the front seemed to notice as she lazily stared out the front window. He made his way around the store, muttering to himself as he read off the selection. He couldn’t understand what was written on the signs, but he instinctively knew what they meant. He settled on a steaming loaf of gingerbread, his stomach begging for it as he did. With a sigh he made his way to the woman. He stood in front of the counter before coughing loudly. Her attention snapped to him as she came out of her stupor. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I saw you come in.”

 

“It’s no problem.” He gave the woman a smile as he placed the bread on the counter.

 

“That will be two geld.”

 

“Er, I’m new to town, don’t have much money on me.”

 

“If you don’t have the dough, then get out.” She smirked as she spoke.

 

“How about we make a trade, then?” Rajadeem reached into his coat and pulled out a deck of cards, “I fancy myself a fortune teller, and I haven’t been wrong yet.” He shuffled the deck with a flourish, “What say I trade you a reading for the bread?”

 

The woman gave him a firm smile, “Sorry, sir. John’d have my head if I let someone walk out without paying in cash.” She looked over the counter at the lantern at his side, “Unless you’re willing to trade that fancy stone you’ve got there for it.”

 

Rajadeem’s own smile faltered, “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

 

“Then it’s geld or nothing.”

 

“I see. That’s fair.” As he put the deck back into his jacket he pulled the top card with the tips of his fingers, quietly begging for it to be the right one. His stone flashed for a moment as he produced a small pouch of gold coins. “Two geld, right?”

 

He handed the the coins to the woman as she snorted. “What was that about being low on cash?”

 

“I’m trying to save as I can.”

 

With a nod the woman handed him the loaf, “Please come again.”

 

He waved back at her as he walked out. Once he had turned the corner he pressed his back against the wall and gave a sigh of relief, “Too close.” He clutched the bread to his chest for a moment before continuing onward, though unsure of where to go. He headed towards the castle in the distance. “That gem guy said that’s the Light Palace, so…” He stopped and examined the surrounding area, searching for anything tp tell him where he was, “Nope, I got nothing.” He made his way towards a larger clearing in the town. The town square was just as lively as the rest of the town. Its wider space left the crowds sparser than before, though a commotion had drawn a small crowd. “What’s going on over there?”

 

Curiosity got the better of him as he moved over to the crowd, but as he did he heard passerbys talking.

 

“She’s talking nonsense.”

 

“What’s a moon, anyways?”

 

“I’m surprised the guards aren’t here yet.”

 

“Who would believe such a fairy tale?”

 

“A moon?” Rajadeem mused.

 

He peered over the crowd to see a young woman standing at the center of attention. Her eyes were obscured by a marked cloth, though she was dressed in a kimono as blue as the night’s sky. “Please, heed my warnings! The power of the magic stones shall bring forth the evil of humanity, creating from the abyss a great force that cannot be stopped!”

 

He tuned out her ramblings as he reached into his coat again, drawing a card. “The Moon, eh?” He looked back at the woman as she continued on about a crimson moon, “You don’t say.” he said flatly. As he went to return the card, he paused and brought it back out, revealing a second card behind it, The World. His eyes widened as he looked at the woman, certain that she had looked directly at him as he quickly slunk back into the crowd. “So they’re here, too?” He decided against running for it, she would have called to him if he had meant anything to her. Instead he walked over to a patch of grass next to a bench, taking a seat and tearing a piece off of his bread. He ate his meal as he listened to the woman’s speech in the distance. “If she is a Wanderer, then she should know what she’s talking about,” he muttered to himself, “If that’s true then things are about get interesting around here.”

 

As he said that he noticed a peculiar individual in the crowd, a young man with striking eyes and monochromatic hair split down the middle. Accompanying him was an older man, clearly irritated with the younger. “And who are you?” He watched as the two walked over to the rambing woman, the younger enthralled by her words. Seeing this, Rajadeem reached for his deck and drew two cards. He held them up as they matched with the pair. The older man was marked by the Emperor, while the younger caught his attention. “The Fool?” He smiled in bewilderment as the Emperor dragged the Fool away. “My my, looks like things will be kicking off any moment now.” He ate his last scrap of bread before standing. “Well, it looks like nothing’s happening now, guess I have some time to kill.” With that he vanished into the crowd once again.

 

* * *

 

The sun had begun to set as Rajadeem left the tailor, giving his thanks one last time before wandering out on to the town’s streets. It had cost him the remainder of his geld, but he had managed to negotiate for a full repair of his clothes. The damage had been worse than he’d thought; his jacket had been torn, the lining shredded and the back missing chunks that tore through the sweater underneath, marking his skin. His pants were in better condition, though also torn in several places. He sighed to himself, at least he’d had a meal with that money before going for repairs. He looked at the sky, seeing stars begin to dot it. “No moon, eh?” he chuckled to himself before setting off, “Been a while since I’ve seen a world without one.” He strolled through the town as businesses closed up for the day, children running inside at the call of their parents. The air grew colder as bitter breezes forced him to put up his collar and tuck his chin into his scarf. Once again he had found himself in the square. Now quiet, he walked over to a bench and sat on it, craning his head back he watched as the orange sky faded to dark.

 

As the stars began to appear he reached into his coat and pulled a card, one matching the sky above him. “Looks like it’s going to be a good one,” he said. With a smile he rested the card on his lap and looked back to the heavens. The stars appeared in clusters at first, before flooding into view as the sun vanished on the horizon. They twinkled, unhindered by the invading light of a moon. The stars lit the sky in a glorious display of the galaxy. Rajadeem pointed at the sky and traced between the stars with his finger, searching for any constellations he recognized. He smiled as he found a bear in the stars, following its tail to find its cub near the north star. Try as he might, it was all he could make out as the stars overlapped one another, an ocean of light shimmering in the sky.

 

Admiring the night sky for what felt like hours, he looked back to the card to see it had gone blank. He grimaced, returning it to the deck and standing from his seat, looking back to the sky one last time. “Guess she was wrong, at least about tonight.” He shifted on his feet, looking around the empty plaza, “Still…” He ran a hand through his hair, “It can’t hurt.” He knelt down and took out his deck and removed the chain from his waist, setting the lantern on the ground. He gave the cards a quick shuffle, sliding them in and between each other without the edges colliding. He rotated them as he did, ensuring that some would appear inverse should he draw them. With one final shuffle he set the deck next to his lantern, causing the stone within to glow. “Alright, what’s going to happen next?” He drew the top card and set it down; The Fool. “So a journey is beginning,” he thought back to the man with the odd hair, “Probably involving him, right? What does he do?” He drew the next card; Temperance. “Finding moderation? Or is it something he has to do?” He paused, “Maybe it’s a goal. What’s he trying to achieve?” He set the card next to The Fool before drawing the next; The Moon. “So he’ll go on a journey to find his purpose in life, it’s unclear now but he will find it with patience. Anything else?” The Moon. Rajadeem stared at the card, “Then he means to avoid deception? Or are you just being literal?” He drew the next card. The Moon.

 

Rajadeem scowled at it and looked at the sky, seeing nothing but the endless expanse of stars. “You think you’re being funny?” He drew. The Moon. His eye twitched. “What moon!?”

 

A flash of crimson lit up the sky.

 

Rajadeem stared at the ground, now tinted red. He scrambled to gather his cards, tying his lantern back to his waist and slowly turning to face the sky. Many of the stars had vanished in the night, drowned out by the light of a blood-red moon. He gawked at its sudden appearance. “Fuck.” A chill ran up his spine, causing him to turn and scan the rest of the plaza. Beneath the moon’s light, shadows had begun to shift and twist, rising and falling as if imitating the movement of breathing. Rajadeem reached back and prepared for a fight. Instead he drew The Fool. “No! Not now!” He looked back to the shadows, then to the card. Whatever the were doing, it was clear it would take some time. “Fine, make it quick!” He held the glowing card out and vanished from the plaza.

 

* * *

 

He appeared again on a small ledge overlooking the town. The sudden sight of the ground far below caused him to stumble, his back suddenly clinging to a wall as he found himself with little footing. “Okay, but why though?” His hands pressed against the stone, attempting to find some sort of grip to prevent himself from plummeting to the earth below. He looked forward, trying not to focus on how high up he was. “This had better be worth it.” A yell drew his attention. Craning his neck left Rajadeem saw light pouring out of a broken window. He shimmied along the ledge, getting close enough to have a look inside. As he neared it, he failed to see figure approaching fast, whizzing past him and through the window bringing with it a hard wind that knocked him off balance. He swayed and flailed his arms about, finding his center, but not before coming face-to-face with the ground. He let out a quick yelp before pinning himself to the wall with a sigh. He came closer to the window and peered inside.

 

Inside he saw a figure in a red hood, crouched before the young man from earlier and a girl who shared a striking resemblance with him. “Is it really you?”

 

“Of course it is.” The hooded figure rose, causing the man’s face to light up, “I’m Little Red Riding Hood! It’s no lie~”

 

“The one from your fairy tales?” The girl piped up, “Brother, it could be a trick.”

 

“Oh, no tricking here. I promise, it’s no lie.”

 

“Lumia, she’s a good person in her story. She must be a friend.”

 

Rajadeem grimaced at that, “Spoken like the Fool.”

 

The man took the figure’s hands, his eyes sparkling in delight, “I just can’t believe you’re here! In the flesh, and you saved us at that!” He paused, “Wait, how are you here, then?”

 

“This.” The figure pulled her hands away and held something out, but upon the man taking it Rajadeem saw it to be a book; bound in aged black leather with intricate gold and red designs. “This book manifested your Will and brought me to life.”

 

“My… Will?”

 

“Yes, Grimm. You carry the Will of Hope, and above all others yours shines the brightest. I’ve come to give you the book so you can manifest your Will and defeat the tide of despair.”

 

“And who is that?”

 

Red lowered her head, “Dracula.” Her voice was low and cold, as if the very name she spoke brought with it a chilling menace.

 

Lumia stepped forward and pulled Grimm away, “Brother, this is ridiculous! I don’t care if she’s some hero from one of your stories, you can’t just run off with her!” She stomped her foot, “You’re always being so lazy and complacent, how dare you change on a whim like this! I won’t let you.”

 

Rajadeem stared at the Star tarot as Grimm shrugged off his sister. “Lumia-”

 

“And you!” She turned to Little Red, “Just coming in here thinking that you can take him away. Seriously, what makes you think that he can just leave the palace with a stranger? He barely does his work as is, and you expect him to go off and save the world? I doubt he’ll be able to walk out of the castle walls, let alone win in a fight!”

 

“Lumia!” She jumped and turned to Grimm, startled by him raising his voice. “I understand that you’re worried about me, but I can assure you I can handle myself.” He raised his hand as she went to protest, “I know that I lack knowledge of the outside world, you and I have spent most of our lives in this palace, but I can’t afford to stand aside. If Dracula is anything like he was in his book, he’ll be a menace to our kingdom. If what Red says is true, then I have to go. It’s my responsibility as prince to our kingdom, let alone a bearer of Will.” He looked at the book in his hands, “It’s like in my stories, the hero will always fight for what he believes in, no matter the cost. I’ve believed in my fairy tales for so long…” he looked to Red, “So if they believe in me,” he threw open the front cover, the pages within glowing with a golden light and began to turn as if being flipped by an invisible wind. Grimm’s eyes were lit by the light, giving off a fierce determination, “Then I’ll believe in them, no matter what.”

 

Rajadeem smiled from his perch, having heard the exchange. “Well well, looks like the Fool might just be able to pull this off.” He pulled a card for Red, revealing the High Priestess. “And with her on his side, he might just stand a chance.

 

“But first I need to pack!” Rajadeem peered back inside, seeing the prince running down the hall while leaving the two women staring at him.

 

He sighed and shook his head, “He’s got a long way to go, though.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Emperor!”

 

The card in Rajadeem’s hand became enveloped in light, glowing brightly as it changed its shape. It stretched outward, curving towards a pointed tip, the portion in his hand slimming with a similar curve. The light shattered from the newly formed blade, which cleaved through an imp-like creature. Using the momentum, he turned and decapitated another of the creatures, which had attempted to sneak behind him for a bite. He prodded the head with the tip of his sword, pulling back its lip to reveal fangs. “Bat wings and fangs. If I didn’t know any better I’d say these were-”

 

“Vampires!”

 

He turned to see a guard wrestling one of the creatures back with a lance, its bloodsoaked teeth gnashing at him. “Yeah, that.” Rajadeem charged forward, sweeping the vampire’s legs with the back of his blade, allowing the guard to throw it to the ground before impaling it with his weapon. Not noticing him, the guard ran to rejoin his group. “They’re not too strong, but there’s a lot of them.” He turned and cleaved through another, “I should help thin them out before I get noticed.” He ran into the fray, hacking away at the vampires as he did. His vision went narrow as he fought. Turn. Cleave. Block. Thrust. Parry. Cleave. Parry. Dodge. Cleave. He kept up his rhythm, moving about the outskirts of the plaza. He quietly begged that the guards were doing their jobs, protecting the people from these creatures.

 

A screech from behind him drew his attention and with a quick turn and slash, another vampire was cut from the sky. He stepped back to catch himself, holding his blade out to make sure that nothing else would catch him off guard. Seeing nothing he lowered it, turning around and preparing to dash off, only for something to collide with his stomach. He swore to himself, cursing out his carelessness as he anticipated an attack. Rajadeem’s eyes widened at the familiar sight of a short woman, her face concealed by a veil. “You.”

 

“Where did you come from? I didn’t see-” She stopped short, not that he was listening as another vampire swooped down behind her.

 

“Behind you!” They shouted in unison. Rajadeem pulled a card as the woman prepared a spell.

 

“Chariot!” A flash of light summoned a man clad in armor, wielding a similar sword to his own. He moved past the woman with blinding speed, farther than Rajadeem could reach and made short work of the vampire. As he did, he watched as the sleeve of the woman’s kimono sprouted bamboo.

 

She held out her hand and fired at the other, “Shining Bamboo!” The shoots pierced their target, sending it careening into the ground. She turned to Rajadeem, he could feel her gaze from behind her veil. “You recognized me, but I have no memory of you.”

 

“Er, I saw you in the plaza earlier. You must have forgotten me.”

 

He felt her glare, “I’d remember someone with eyes like yours.” She walked past him, “We’ll exchange pleasantries later, right now I have to protect this town.”

 

Rajadeem watched her walk away for a moment before running up to her, “Need some help?”

 

“If I needed your help I would have asked for it.” She turned back to him, “Granted you did cover my back there, I would like some assistance. Come along.” With that she ran towards the battle with him in tow.

 

 

 

“Phew.” Rajadeem rested against a wall as he and the woman watched the guards drive the remaining vampires from the town. They had done well to thin their ranks, allowing the humans to finish off the stragglers as the rising sun threatened to do the job. They had done well not to draw attention to themselves; her bamboo had been far less showy than he had thought. For now they needed to hide out until things settled down. “By the way, you never told me your name.”

 

The woman looked at him for a moment before removing her veil. He flinched as her eyes fell upon him, their piercing gaze making him uncomfortable. “It’s Kaguya.”

 

“Well then, nice to meet you Kaguya. I’m Rajadeem,” he held his hand out. She looked at it and back at him before turning her attention to the guards. “Alright, that was cold,” he thought to himself. They continued to watch the guards as they began to make their rounds to check on the townsfolk, and while doing so Rajadeem noticed a pair of hooded figures making their way out the front gate. “Guess that’s my cue.”

 

“Your what?” Before Kaguya could process what he had said, Rajadeem took off after the two. “Wait!”

 

He didn’t hear her as her passed through the gate and began to tail the pair. He drew a card to be certain; The Fool. “Yep, it’s starting!” He leapt over some bushes lining the side of the road, staying low as he trailed behind. He peered over the bush, trying to listen in on the conversation.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Rajadeem jumped and grabbed Kaguya, pulling her into the bush as Red turned around. He covered her mouth with his hand as she tried to protest.

 

“Did you hear something?”

 

“Nope.”

 

He grit his teeth and peered back over, seeing Red turn back and follow Grimm down the path. With a sigh he let Kaguya go, but when she turned to scold him he put a finger to her lips. “Quietly.”

 

“Why are you following them?” Rajadeem held up the Fool. “I don’t know what that means.”

 

“The one on the left saw you talking about the moon earlier today, I think he took your words to heart and the one on the right told him he has to go kill the one responsible for the vampires.” He tapped the card, “He’s the main character here, he’s going on a journey and this signifies him and the start of it.”

 

“So why not offer to help them?”

 

Rajadeem began to move along, signalling for Kaguya to follow, “I don’t really work like that.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“It’s… well…” he paused, “I have this boss. I mean, she isn’t my boss but she acts like it. She tends to get on my case for interfering in others affairs.” He peered over, “She can’t see me all the time, so I have to be careful when I get involved. Stick to the background, y’know?”

 

Kaguya nodded and peered over herself. “So what do you plan on doing?”

 

“Tailing them, mostly. Just need to make sure they’re okay.” He smiled wistfully, “I love seeing people like them, willing to take action against the world.” He looked at Kaguya, “People like you, too.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah, people didn’t believe you about the crimson moon and you persisted.” He flashed her a smile, “I respect people like that. If you hadn’t gotten through to the prince of all people, what comes next would have never happened.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Now the bigger question is, why are you following me?”

 

“You seemed interesting.”

 

“And that’s enough for you to stalk me?”

 

“You’re stalking the prince because he interests you.”

 

“Touche.”

 

 

They had followed Grimm and Red for a couple hours before arriving in a small town. Having travelled for much of the early morning, Rajadeem assumed that the Prince had elected to rest for a while before setting out again, but as Kaguya pointed out it seemed that neither him nor Red knew where Dracula was. Entering the town had drawn the attention of small crowd, surprised at the sudden appearance of the Light Palace prince and an odd-looking girl. “This is our chance.” Rajadeem darted into the crowd with Kaguya in tow. “Just act like you belong here, they shouldn’t notice you.”

 

“What about you?”

 

“Not a problem. I don’t stand out, but that kimono of yours might.” He chuckled, “Well, not as much as the prince of a kingdom and a wolf girl.”

 

“I suppose, but how can you not?”

 

“Remember how you couldn’t see me before?” He looked down at her as she nodded. “That.” Keeping pace, they watched from a distance as Grimm and Red walked past the dissipating crowd and towards the inn.

 

“So what now?”

 

“Now, we look like we belong.” He straightened up and walked around the market, browsing the stalls. Kaguya followed suit, pondering the produce and trinkets that lined the displays. Every so often he would look back, seeing the Prince go into the inn and gesturing for Kaguya to keep browsing. The shopkeepers paid him no mind, but spoke with Kaguya as they could. Rajadeem chuckled to himself. In the few hours since they’d been following Grimm all he could get out of her were more questions about himself. She’d seemed uninterested in answering his, but he didn’t mind. She seemed like a nice enough person, perhaps he needed to earn her trust. Sure enough, she brushed off a fruit vendor and walked away without addressing him. He pulled two coins out of his jacket and dropped them loudly on the counter, “I’ll take an orange, please.” The vendor swiped the coins behind the counter and handed him the fruit, mumbling to himself about spacing out.

 

He found Kaguya blankly staring at a display of porcelain rabbits. He prodded her on the shoulder, catching her attention before gesturing to the inn. “That should be long enough,” he whispered. She nodded as he started to walk towards the inn, taking a quick look back at the figurines before running to catch up.

 

The two opened the door to the inn, entering wordlessly before taking a seat at a nearby table. They noticed Grimm at the front counter, likely paying for a room. They watched as he returned to a table where Red was sitting. “And now we watch?” Kaguya asked.

 

“Pretty much. Out of sight, out of mind.”

 

“Look, a fortune teller!” Red suddenly jumped out of her seat as Rajadeem did in response.

 

“Out of sight, huh?”

 

“Wait.” They watched as Red ran over to a table on the opposite side of the inn. A hooded man with a cup of tea was reading a book. “ _He’s_ a fortune teller?”

 

“He does look the part.”

 

“I mean, if you want to be stereotypical.” Grimm walked over to join Red. The inn was mostly empty aside from a few other patrons, so Rajadeem could hear their conversation.

 

Kaguya smirked at him, “Aw, jealous?”

 

“Of course not.” The hint of venom in his tone spoke otherwise. He took out his deck of cards and began shuffling, “But just to be safe.”

 

“I shouldn’t entrust my fate to a single fortune, but if you have confidence in him, Red, I’ll hear him out,” Grimm said.

 

“Good man,” Rajadeem whispered, flipping the signifier to reveal the Fool.

 

The Diviner flipped the page of his book. His eyes, though obscured by his hood, seemed to focus on Little Red. “I see, though my prophecy seems to be mistaken. Are you sure you are who you claim to be?”

 

“Oh come on! I’m Little Red Riding Hood, the one and only!”

 

The Diviner looked back to his book, studying it before turning the page, “Very well, let’s see…” He read from it for a moment, “From here you will go into the Forest of Darkness…”

 

Rajadeem nodded, the Fool was already set.

 

 

“There you will search for the girl named Pandora, you will need to borrow her power…”

 

Temperance.

 

“Do that, and you shall vanquish Dracula. Whether or not you believe in this telling is up to you.”

 

Sure enough, Rajadeem revealed the Chariot. He raised an eyebrow, having missed this part in his earlier reading.

 

Grimm looked at the Diviner as he closed his book, “I’ll trust it for now, though you haven’t told us anything new, really. I suppose it’s worth peace of mind knowing we’re on the right track.” He missed as Red stuck her tongue out at him and mocking him for questioning her.

 

“Is that really it?”

 

“No, he didn’t follow through.” His fingers played with the top card of the deck, “What happens after?” The air at their table went tense as Rajadeem drew the last card and set it down. The Tower.

 

Kaguya saw a worried expression creep over his face, “Is that bad?”

 

“It might be. The Tower represents a sort of rebirth, something great coming of something that’s been destroyed. Either Dracula’s defeat will bring something about, or…” he trailed off as he pulled the next card. It was blank. “Tch.”

 

“Guess we’ll have to keep following them.”

 

“Looks like it.”

 

“Come on, Red, we should get a move on.”  


“Aw, I wanted to sleep in a comfy bed.”

 

“We’ll rest later, let’s try and make some headway before sundown.”

 

“That’s our cue,” Kaguya said. Rajadeem nodded and they waited for Grimm and Red to get a head start. After they had gone, they stood and followed them out of town, no one noticing them as they did.


End file.
